


Sunday Mornings

by Selvanic



Category: Persona 5
Genre: And lots of comfort, Birthday, M/M, Softness, it's all just fluff, with a brief side of self-loathing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 10:19:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19060663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selvanic/pseuds/Selvanic
Summary: Akechi Goro is still adjusting to having a regular life, and still finds changes in routine upsetting.





	Sunday Mornings

Akechi Goro was still adjusting to the feeling of no longer waking up alone. Even though he and Akira had been living together for nearly six months, a part of it still didn’t feel real to him. A part of him still expected the other, at any time, to simply pack up and leave, having realized—like so many others in his life—that he wasn’t worth the time or effort.

 

But, then, Kurusu Akira had never been like anyone he’d known before. That was, after all, the crux behind what had drawn him to the other boy in the first place.

 

Stifling a yawn, he glanced blearily around the room, the sparse but comfortable pieces of furniture outlined by the early morning light that managed to sneak in beneath the blind. It still made his heart swell and his chest ache, seeing pieces they’d bought _together_ , pieces that they’d struggled to construct _together_ , and pieces he’d owned for years that had new meaning because they were _together_. After his usual ‘inspection’, he rolled over onto his back, stretching languidly to try and wake up his tired muscles before he set upon the task of trying to wake his sleepy boyfriend. It would be undoubtedly difficult; Akira often fought him on getting up at ungodly hours on weekends.

 

This time, however, when he shifted his weight to face Akira’s side of the bed, his boyfriend was gone.

 

Goro’s heart stopped for a moment, and any lingering sleep vanished. He sat up, looking around and straining his ears for any sign of the other, holding his own breath lest he miss anything. Further into the apartment, just down the hall, he could hear the sounds of someone moving around in the kitchen. He exhaled roughly, shoulders dropping as the fear and tension bled out of his body as quickly as they had arose. Akira was still around; he’d simply woken up first.

 

Which raised a new set of questions: since when did Akira ever get up on a Sunday before Goro forced him to?

 

Easing himself out from under the thin sheets they’d been using since the early summer heatwaves had rolled in, Goro stepped into his slippers and quietly made his way down the hall. He could smell freshly brewed coffee and the tell-tale scent of Akira cooking, accentuated by the soft sound of his boyfriend humming some long-forgotten broadway showtune to himself. A brief pang of guilt stopped him in his tracks: how could he ever have thought Akira would simply up and disappear on him?

 

He paused, staring at his feet with his lips pressed into a tight line. Why, after all this time, did he still let doubt overwhelm him like that? Why did he continue to allow himself to believe, even for a _moment_ , that Akira’s words and pledges and soft whispers were anything but genuine? After everything they’d been through, after all the work they’d done with each other, supporting one another, listening to one another, how could he still let those thoughts surface for even a second? Maybe he wasn’t worth the effort. Maybe he still wasn’t—

 

“Goro,” Akira’s voice cut into his thoughts, forcing him to look up sharply. “It’s _way_ too early to be hating yourself.”

 

The older boy flushed slightly and shook his head, trying to ease the tension out of his shoulders as imperceptibly as possible. “I…I don’t know what you mean.”

 

His boyfriend closed the small gap between them, cupping Goro’s face in his warm hands and forcing him to maintain eye contact. “I’ve known you long enough to know the ‘I hate myself, I don’t deserve nice things’ face. And it’s too early in the morning for that.” Akira chuckled softly when the other pouted, ducking in to kiss Goro softly. “What’s on your mind?”

 

“You mean besides the self-loathing spiral?” Akira pinched his cheek gently and they both laughed briefly. Quietly. Intimately. He relaxed the rest of the way, leaning into his boyfriend’s touch, and let the words come out on their own. “I was worried when you weren’t in bed. It’s not like you to be up early on weekends. And I convinced myself that you…you’d left. Like…everyone else.”

 

“I’d never just bail on you like that, Goro,” Akira whispered. “I’m here to stay.”

 

There was no hint of anger or offence in his words, no tinge of annoyance at having to repeat the words he’d no doubt said thousands of times in the past six months alone. Every syllable was just as honest, filled with just as much earnest emotion, as the first time they’d been spoken, and the soft brush of Akira’s thumb against his cheek both reassured and made Goro feel worse at the same time.

 

He searched Akira’s eyes for any hint of impatience, and when he found none he couldn’t help but smile, shaky and overwhelmed though it was. “I know…And I’m sorry I—”

 

“No apology needed, Goro. We’re both working on stuff, right?” Akira returned the smile with a gentle one of his own, pressing another soft kiss to the other’s lips. “I’m glad you talked to me about it.”

 

Goro nodded, the movement slight but enough for both of them to understand. The weight he’d felt hovering over him was gone, the fear and anxiety dissipating slowly but surely. He brought his own hands up to cover Akira’s, gently removing them from his face and simply holding them for a long moment. And then he remembered what he’d been meaning to ask.

 

“Akira,” he started slowly, “what _are_ you doing up so early? It’s not even nine yet; you normally won’t even consider speaking coherently until at least ten on Sundays.”

 

His boyfriend pouted and looked away in mock-offence. “Well excuse me for wanting to spend part of a day off relaxing in bed with the love of my life.”

 

Goro rolled his eyes and tugged on Akira’s hands, catching the other’s quietly laughing eyes with his own. “Excused. But that still doesn’t answer my question. What _are_ you doing up?”

 

Akira stared at him for a long moment, as if waiting for something else to be said, before obvious surprise lit up his face. “Goro…did you…forget what today is?”

 

“It’s Sunday,” the older boy replied matter-of-factly. Akira’s continued incredulous staring, however, told him that wasn’t the right answer. Goro thought for a moment longer and felt a rush of heat run from his chest to the top of his head. “It’s…my birthday,” he answered again, though his voice was low from the sudden wave of embarrassment. He’d completely forgotten.

 

After a beat of silence, Akira burst into a brief fit of laughter, forced to take his hands back from Goro so he could remove his glasses and wipe the tears from his eyes. Again, though, there was no ill intent behind the sound, and the young detective couldn’t help but laugh as well.

 

“I wanted to surprise you with breakfast,” Akira chuckled, raking a hand through his still bed tousled hair. “Start your birthday off on a good note. Guess that kinda backfired, huh?”

 

Goro shook his head, leaning in for another kiss, unable to keep from smiling as he felt his boyfriend do the same. “Not by any fault of yours. And thank you. Though…”

 

“Though?”

 

The older boy managed a teasing grin, pinching the former thief’s side gently. “If you made me pancakes, I swear to God…”

 

“Oh _now_ he tells me!” Akira threw up his hands in mock exasperation, but the smile on his face spoke volumes. There was so much love, so much genuine happiness, and for a moment Goro couldn’t believe it was his to have. He’d never thought anyone would look at him like that, talk to him like that, think of him and treat him like that. And yet he knew, he genuinely believed, that Akira would never waver. This was real.

 

The two of them laughed again, and Akira led Goro into the kitchen by the hand. A plate of crepes sat stacked and waiting, a bowl of whipped cream and another of chopped berries sitting nearby.

 

“Happy birthday, Goro.” Akira beamed and pressed a kiss to the other’s cheek. “I love you.”

 

Goro nodded, tightening his hold on the younger man’s hand. “Thank you, Akira. I…I love you too.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I watched Proof of Justice before this and needed softness and healing. This was my solution.
> 
> Also, big thanks to my fiancee (@kamikrazy) for editing it and to @Chromophilic_Daydream for strong-arming me into posting it.


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